USAID LUNA II Lao PDR–U.S. International and ASEAN Integration Project Quarterly Progress Report July–September 2015

International and ASEAN Integration Project, which aims to support the integration of the Lao People's Democratic Republic into the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and the World Trade Organization (WTO). The project is implemented by Nathan Associates Inc. and is funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). During the July-September 2015 quarter, the project made significant progress in various areas. The USAID LUNA II Project Review Committee (PRC) met in August to provide input on the LUNA II Year 2 work plan, which was subsequently endorsed by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce's Program Executive Committee (PEC) in September. The project also saw a change in leadership, with Ashok Menon being replaced by Daniel Fitzpatrick as the Interim Chief of Party. The project made notable progress on WTO-related activities, including the completion of a draft of the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) judicial enforcement guidelines for the Lao Supreme People's Court. The project also submitted comments on proposed regulations concerning water and electricity meters and drafted guidelines for establishing a Lao National Quality Award. In addition, the project supported the Foreign Trade Policy Department (FTPD) of the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIC) with a consultation workshop on the development of ministerial guidelines to implement WTO-compliant trading rights legislation. The project also worked with the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) on implementing the Law on Making Legislation and organized technical workshops for focal points in both central and provincial government agencies to ensure the consistency and uniformity of submissions to the E-Gazette Office. The project also focused on developing e-signature procedures with the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) and supported a consultation workshop on the draft regulations on secure digital signatures. The project is also working with the Department of Information Technology (DIT) to organize three more workshops in north, central, and southern Laos to disseminate the E-Transactions Law (ETL). Furthermore, the project supported the Department of Imports and Exports (DIMEX) in organizing two workshops on rules of origin (ROO) to improve the participants' skills in using certificates of origin and their understanding of regulations and procedures connected with electronic certificates and self-certification. The project also worked with the Lao National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LNCCI) to discuss the possible establishment of a private sector arbitration/mediation center. The project also discussed with the Economic Research Institute for Trade (ERIT) the possibility of jointly offering courses that would build trade capacity amongst government officials. The project aims to run the first two courses during the next quarter or immediately thereafter and will coordinate with both GIZ and SECO, as both are also programming trade-related capacity building courses in the future. The project's progress was marked by the issuance of a final decision on the Lao National Single Window (LNSW) by the Ministry of Finance, which was published in the E-Gazette in August 2015. The project is in the process of finalizing a translation of the decision. Overall, the USAID LUNA II Project made significant progress in various areas during the July-September 2015 quarter, including WTO-related activities, e-signature procedures, rules of origin, and trade capacity building. The project's efforts aim to support the integration of the Lao PDR into the ASEAN and WTO and to build trade capacity amongst government officials.